The Federation of Families for Children's Mental HealthColorado Chapter

Statewide Family Network

Welcome to the Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health~CO Chapter’s SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Statewide Family Network Grant Affiliate Resource, Support and Engagement section. The purpose of this initiative is to use a “System of Care” approach to supporting effective mental health services for families of children with serious emotional disturbance and Co-Occurring Mental Health/Substance Abuse disorders. Only by involving the parents and families of children and youth will this work be done.

Since 1993, the CO Federation has been committed to ensuring that families are provided opportunities to be heard in shaping policies that meet the individual need of their family and their children.

We have long known that we cannot do this work alone. Only through collaboration with other family organizational partners and local family members will we be able to ensure that family involvement is happening throughout Colorado. Our goal is to use this section of our website be used as a resource for others doing similar work, as well as serve as a specialized tool for those wanting to start or join a CO Federation Affiliate. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about what an affiliate does, the value and benefits to becoming an affiliate and part of a strong local, state and national network. Join others as we change policies and practices, and take actions that truly protect and preserve the rights and needs of families and their children dealing with mental and behavioral health needs.

This section of the website is intended to serve as a resource to help individuals, large and small groups and/or organizations address the challenges required to build and sustain partnerships in order to enable system change work. We invite you to join the CO Federation in our on-going journey to provide to provide unique and empowering advocacy and support for Colorado families and their children dealing with mental health and behavioral health challenges. To learn more about the CO Federation refer back to our website home page.

Understanding Families
In this section you will find resources that highlight topics that are critical to understanding four unique needs of families.

Building a Family-Run OrganizationThis section is designed to assist in increasing the organizational capacity of existing and newly developing family-run organizations through training, providing resource information and support efforts.

CO Federation Affiliates Explore this section to learn more about the publications and presentations of the Colorado Federation for Families and its affiliate organizations.

Looking for more tools?

Whether you are a parent, family advocate, or systems professional you will find valuable information in this Toolkit regarding youth in the juvenile justice system experiencing mental health as well as co-occurring mental health and substance use issues.